The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, on April 18, 1942, was an air raid by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu island during World War II, the first air raid to strike the Japanese Home Islands after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. It demonstrated that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, provided an important boost to U.S. morale, and damaged Japanese morale. The raid was planned and led by Lt. Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle, U.S. Army Air Forces.
16 U.S. Army Air Forces B-25B Mitchell medium bombers were launched without fighter escort from the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier USS Hornet deep in the Western Pacific Ocean, each with a crew of 5 men. All but 3 of the crew survived, all planes were lost.